West Ham Falters to Clinical Finishing from Chelsea

If you didn’t have a chance to watch tonight’s 4-1 win by Chelsea at West Ham’s Boleyn Ground, you may consider the result as another indication of Chelsea’s superiority and West Ham’s decline. Sure, the Blues were incredible tonight, but the scoreline didn’t accurately portray West Ham’s efforts, especially in the first half.

The first half was incredible. Hearing the West Ham fans singing “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and the Hammers performance on the pitch was equally as impressive. Chelsea were on the backfoot much of the first 15 minutes as West Ham pressured Chelsea.

But the difference in the first half was the brilliance of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who scored two absolutely incredible goals. Sandwiched in between those goals was an equally as impressive strike by Carlos Tevez.

The second half was a different story as West Ham fell apart after Kalou scored Chelsea’s third goal. By the 63rd minute, the West Ham fans started to leave the Boleyn Ground in droves. But those Hammers fans who did stick around gave their West Ham side a standing ovation.

West Ham’s season isn’t over yet, but the team needs to win its remaining matches to have any chance of staying up. Curbishley must tighten up his defense, though, as the Hammers fell victim to some blatant mistakes.

Chelsea, meanwhile, performed exceptionally especially in such a hostile environment. If they can win matches like these, I don’t see them faltering anytime soon — whether it’s the Premiership, Champions League or FA Cup.